CECIL THE MARTYR

A high level of individuality may be the Achilles heel of our species. Group intelligence saves penguins, many other birds, and fishes from predators and environmental challenges. This opinion may be a bit simplistic but it seems that Darwinian explanations fail most obviously with the human species.  Unless, of course, we factor in an unscientific but universally human recognition that we also deal with destructive forces operating internally that are just as threatening as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. We have added our human genius to this list of natural disasters in the development of weapons of mass destruction. However, these weapons are so terrifying that so far, America is the only country that has actually used them for a military attack. At last, humans fear their potential for complete undoing.  It’s ironic that a young country such as America initiated the terrible possibility for total destruction. I’ve long feared that the world may be falling under the total control of the mentality of a 15-year-old geek, all brain and gonads, and both under an out of control ego.

The world is brimming with human inventiveness and we are ever so busy getting smarter. We want all of our inventions to be smarter and smarter all the way to smart watches.  Even smart eyeglasses are on the way. I find it troubling that we are so smart technically and yet people are using their intelligent tablets and smart phones to take selfies, watch funny cat videos, and text about what they had for lunch. It is of course possible to get much deeper on the net and more creative with a smart phone  if you choose, but the point is we need to feel connected to others of our species  (as well as other species) and we are choosing this high tech environment to do less well what a natural environment  would provide. I’m wondering if anyone else finds it ironic that such advanced technology winds up in service to trivial and primitive purposes. It’s about money I suppose. This gathering of money is then about power: The power to make other people dependent on the purveyors of these addictive toys and the victory over competitors.  The emotional environment surrounding this sophisticated technology is quite unsophisticated.

I recently had a dream about living on an island without electronics and motorized transportation. At first, I almost panicked and then gradually discovered how little I needed from the high tech world. Little by little, I discovered very satisfying ways to do everything necessary. In fact, it felt very light and free. Maybe it was a wish to go back to basics and sort out what is actually necessary for life and happiness. I wouldn’t be writing this without electronics but I don’t fully use those that I have and find it challenging to keep up with Facebook, Twitter and even an archaic venue like email. Sometimes I feel pushed onto a faster track than I want to run.

Cecil without a clue he would become a famous Martyr

There is more than one kind of intelligence. The heart chakra and its particular intelligence are undeveloped in our current state of evolution.  There is no equivalence of an IQ test for emotional and relational intelligence but it is vitally important for the continuance of our world.  The use of higher powers for lower ends defines black magic but also technology without a heart. It is the heart chakra that relates the physical with the spiritual, and the individual with the whole.

However, there are signs of advancement.  The outrage over the killing of Cecil the magnificent African lion is something unlikely to have happened twenty years ago. I suppose hunters kill animals like Cecil to magically acquire  their native beauty, wildness and power. It was sad for both the lion and the dentist.   He seems very wealthy for a dentist and quite egotistical to pay a fortune for the privilege of taking the lions life force  to hang on his wall.   However, I find some of the comments on this event troubling.  There is so much raw hatred and condemnation by the hunter’s critics. Many of the critics seem to be coming from a state of mind as uncooked and primitive as the hunter’s state of mind.  The heart of both the hunter and his enraged critics is in danger and won’t be healed by lion hunting or by hatred of lion hunters. Only a sense of belonging to everything that happens in this world will take us beyond victimization and revenge.  Leo the Lion astrologically rules the heart, courage and creativity. This present human world in need of heart and every action wittingly or unwittingly carries a cosmic stamp.  Isn’t it ironic that this lion has become a martyr for the rights of the natural world? Cecil is us.

Humans have a long history of destroying what they admire. The Roman's almost extincted several species of wild animals in their circus. They had great admiration for a brave death. It seems that such a death made life worthwhile. Although that philosophy seems barbaric to us we still have many attachments to Roman culture. However, modern hunters avoid putting themselves face to face with deadly animals and prefer rifles and high powered bows.